Mechanism for stripping an elastic band from an end portion of a band-receiving tube



Aug. 25, 1959 c. w. MOTT 2,901,310 MECHANISM FOR STRIPPING AN ELASTICBAND FROM AN END PORTION OF A BAND-RECEIVING TUBE Original Filed Nov.20, 1948 BY (lg-, I

MECHANISM FOR STRIPPING AN ELASTIC BAND FROM AN END PORTION OF ABAND-RECEIV- ING TUBE Carl w. Mott, Lake Ozark, Mo., assignor, by mesneassignments, to The Kendall Company, Boston, Mass., a corporation ofMassachusetts Original application November 20, 1948, Serial No.

61,224, now Patent No. 2,709,836, dated June 7, 1955.

Divided and this application October 11, 1954, Serial 2 (Ilaims. (Cl.29-235) This invention relates to mechanism for stripping an elasticband endwise from an end portion of a tube or the like onto which theelastic band has been disposed in distended gripping relation, and moreparticularly relates now Patent No. 2,709,836 issued June 7, 1955. The

complete machine disclosed in said parent application is operable toproduce surgical sponges comprising a body of absorbent filling materialwithin a globular-shaped sack-like jacket formed of a gauze swatch. Acentral portion of the swatch is bulged to form the globular contour ofthe jacket while the edge portions of the swatch are gathered togetherat an end of the jacket and inverted thereinto through an elastic bandcoaxial therewith and within the sack at the entrance neck thereof. Theelastic band is of small diameter so that subsequent to the inverting ofthe gathered edge portions of the swatch into the sack-like jacket thiselastic band is operable to contract firmly thereon for closing the neckof the sack and holding the sponge components in assembly.

Said surgical sponge making machine includes a sponge assembling sectionto which swatches, wads of filling material and elastic bands aresuccessively delivered for interfabrication into respective surgicalsponges. This assembly section of the machine comprises axially spacedcoaxial tubes. An elastic band is disposed upon one of these tubes and acenter portion of a swatch is disposed coaxially with and between thetubes. As a step in the assembly processes, the band carrying tube istelescoped onto the other tube to hood the swatch thereonto whilecarrying the rubber band about such other tube and the swatch. While inthis telescoped position of the tubes a stripper tube is moved endwisetelescopically upon the band carrying tube and toward the end thereof tostrip the band from this tube and allow it to contract onto the swatchhood. Other steps, unrelated to the present invention, in forming thesurgical sponge then insue following retraction of the tube from whichthe band has been stripped and the stripper tube out of telescopicrelation with respect to the tube hooded by the swatch.

The principal object of this invention is the provision of a strippertube having an end portion capable of engaging the rubber band andstripping it from the band carrying tube without pinching portions ofthe rubber band between the stripper tube and the band carrying tube.Experience has shown that when the stripper tube is in the form of aplain tube, the tendency for the band of rubber or other elastomericmaterial to cling to the tube upon which it is mounted causesexceedingly small portions of the rubber band to be forced between theUnite tates Patent tube upon which it is mounted and the stripper tube.This occurs even though the inner diameter of the stripper tube slidessnugly against the outer diameter of the band carrying tube. When thisoccurs, the tubes handling the rubber band become jammed and causemisoperation of the machine.

A more specific object of this invention is the provision of a strippertube having axial slots in the portion thereof at the end for engagingthe elastic band, these slots forming axially extending strippingfingers spaced circumferentially of the tube, together witth an elasticring structure in circumscribing gripping relation about this endportion of the stripper tube for forcing the stripping fingers tightlyinto engagement with the cylindrical outer periphery of the bandcarrying tube. This arrangement causes the ends of the stripping fingersto fit sufficiently tightly upon the band carrying tube that no portionof the elastic band can become wedged between the fingers and the tubefrom which the elastic band is to be stripped.

The above and other desirable objects inherent in and encompassed by theinvention are further elucidated in the insuing description, theappended claims and the annexed drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side view of tubes utilizable for assembling thecomponents of a surgical sponge of the character described above,certain of the parts being shown in section, and there being included alower end portion of a band stripping tube constituting a preferred formof this invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view of certain of the tubes shown in Fig. l and alongitudinal sectional view of other of such tubes, and illustrating astage in the manipulation of the tubes for hooding a gauze swatch overone of the lower tubes.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but illustrating a further stage inthe hooding of the gauze swatch.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Figs. 2 and 3 but showing a still laterstage in the manipulation of the tubes subsequent to stripping of therubber band onto the hooded swatch and retraction of the stripper tubeand the band carrying tube axially out of telescopic relation with thehooded tube.

With continued reference to the drawings, a tampon assembling machinesection 55 is formed by three upper concentric and relatively telescopictubes 63, 64 and 65, and two lower concentric and relatively telescopictubes 56 and 62. All of these tubes are coaxial. The upper innermosttube 63 is for the guiding and downward delivery therethrough of a wadof absorbent filling material (not shown) to be assembled into thesurgical sponge product. The upper center tube 64 has had an elasticband 39 disposed in contracting relation about the cylindrical outerperiphery thereof adjacent its lower end. Elastic band stripper tube 65has a plurality of notches or slots 70 extending axially in the lowerend portion thereof to form a circular series of axially extendingstripping fingers 71 in the lower end portion of said stripping tube.These fingers 71 are held in firm gripping though sliding relation withthe cylindrical outer periphery of the band carrying tube 64 by means ofan elastic ring structure 72 comprised of a plurality of elastic bandloops 73 which may be made of natural rubber or a synthesized elasticproduct.

While the various tubes are in the position illustrated in Fig. 1, apiece of gauze 391 in the form of a flat swatch is carried across theupper end of the tube 56 to place a central portion of the swatch inregistry with the axial center of the tube 56. Thereupon the elasticband carrying tube 64 and the band stripper tube 65 are caused todescend into telescopic relation with the tube 56 to hood the swatch 391over the upper end of the tube 56 in the manner illustrated in Figs. 2and 3, Fig. 3 being a later stage at which the elastic band 39 has beenmoved onto the hooded swatch the desired distance. Next, the elasticband stripping tube 65 is lowered sufficiently far relativelyto the tube64 for the lower endsof'the stripping fingers 71 to push the elasticband 39 off of the lower end of the tube 64 for depositing this bandonto the hood 391 in the position illustrated in Fig. 4. Immediatelyfollowing the'sfrippin'g of the elastic band 39 from the tube 64, thetubes 64 and 65 are elevated out of telescopic relation with the thenhooded tube 56, the lower end of the stripping "tube embodying thestripping fingers 71 being elevated above the lower end of the tube'64so the lower end 'portion'of the tube 64 is then in readiness for re-'ception of a succeeding rubber band. At a later stage in the operationof the tubes, the tube 62 is elevated relatively to the tube for pushingthe edge portion or the hooded swatch 391upwardly and about the elasticband '39 and then sliding the hood and band upwardly on the tube 56until the band 39 is adjacent the upper end of the tube 56. At this timethe hooded upper portion ofthe swatch 391 willextend above the upper endof the tube 56 but it is sucked downwardly into the tube together withthe edge portions of'the swatch that had been folded upwardly about theelastic band 39. At this "time the tube 63 is lowered into proximitywith the upper end of the tube 56 and a wad of the filling materialrammed downwardly through the tube 63 into the sacklike portion of theswatch disposed'within-the upper portionof the tube 56. The downwardforce applied to the Ward within the sack then formed by the swatch 391and against the gathered edge portions of the swatch also disposedwithin the tube 56 pull these edge portions together with the rubberband upwardly and over theupper end of the tube 56 whereupon the band 39can contract 'for gripping the edge portions ofthe swatch and holdingthese edge portions and the filling material within the sack formed bythe central portion of the swatch. The

thus formed sponge unit is delivered as a finished product downwardlythrough the tube 56.

Having thus described a single preferred embodiment of the inventionwith the view of clearly and concisely illustrating the same, I claim:

1. In a mechanism for stripping an elastomeric band from an end portionof a band receiving tube onto which such band is g'rippingly mounted inan expandedattenuated and highly stressed condition causing such band tocling to such tube portionin the respect of resisting sliding movementthereon, a band stripper tube telescopically disposed upon the bandreceiving tube, said stripping tube having a stripping end portiondisposed retractively from the band receiving end portion of thereceiving'tube when such stripping tube is in an axially retractedposition, said stripping end portion containing a plurality ofcircumferentially spaced axially extending notches to cause theexistence of axially extending stripping fingers therebetween with endportions engageable with the band to force it endwise from the receivingtube attendant to axial advancement of the stripper tube, and meansexerting radially inward force on said fingers and pressing their endportions firmly against the receiving tube to maintain a zero clearancebetween said tube and fingers to there'- by obviate wedging of the bandbetween such tube and the fingers when the stripper tube is advanced.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1, wherein 'said means exertingradially inward force on said fingers comprises an elastic ringstructure circumscr'ibing saidst-ripping end portion of the strippingtube and contracted onto said fingers. 1

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,184,687 Freud Dec. 26, 1939 2,328,771 Barnes et a1. Sept. 7, {19432,422,549 Hogin "June 17, 1947 2,510,206 Barkan et al. June 6, 1950

